Darryl

I met Darryl panhandling in Toronto, Canada. He has been homeless on and off since 2007. Sadly, Darryl aged out of foster care with no place to go. Even worse, that is the norm not the exception for many young adults in North America.

Although reports vary, since at best any homeless data is a good guess, one report I read this morning states in the United States, up to 50% of former foster youth become homeless within the first eighteen months of emancipation. Twenty seven percent (27%) of the homeless population spent time in foster care. In California, 65% of youth leaving foster care do so without a place to live. That is just unacceptable! I would bet Canadian foster care youth statistics are similar.

I was really shocked how people just kept walking by us. The few that turned only did so because they were curious why I had the camera. Darryl said “you get used to it”, yet no one should have to “get used to” being ignored.

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I read Darryl and Cheryl’s stories yesterday and was so heartbreaking. My daughter was adoped and gosh I am so thankful that she will never have to withstand the neglicent,destructive treeatment of CPS nor the indifference of people unaware of others stories. I had only 1 chance to procreate organically and adopted our secnd child but thank goodness I had those chances….I feel so hopeless as I am unable to do or help more kids and young adults forced to go through this…thanks for sharing yiour stories guys …nikki

What is wrong with this world that that many people can walk past someone without even a twinge of guilt or any emotion that there is a nice young man- sober- needing help?! They are sight-seeing, smiling, not aware of anything but themselves. I feel like you, Nikki, and wish I could adopt or do more. We need an educational campaign to recruit decent foster parents. Any foster parent who could completely turn their back on a foster child b/c they turn 18 shouldn’t have been one in the 1st place.

Nikolai

I feel extremely bad for Darryl, not only because of his living conditions, but because of the ridiculous circumstances he’s limited by! He seems like a nice guy, and neither is he an alcoholic nor a drug addict… It makes me sad to see, that a man like that can’t even get a job!

Thea M. <3

i think it is so sad to hear about, and the way people judge him. people see him as a bad guy who maybe take drugs and stuffs like that, but i think that he is a much better person than all of them, because he do not judge people from their looking. and if he keeps believing in that he can get a job and keep fighting, I believe he can get one.

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